Abstract
The aim of this paper is to enhance understanding of factors that undermine sustainable management of renewable resources by identifying and analyzing the main drivers and dynamics involved, with a focus on the role of corruption perceptions and its implications. To shed light on the research question, we chose to perform a comparative study of three different resource sectors in European countries that are ranked differently on the Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International, namely fisheries in Iceland, forestry in Romania, and arable soils in Ukraine. We conducted 40 in-depth semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders to explore assumptions on individual actions and behavior in the sectors. The interviews were analyzed using a qualitative coding procedure based on causal loop diagrams, a method from system dynamics. The results indicate that even though the cases are different, they share a similar outcome, in that privatization of the resource and consolidation of companies took place, along with perceived risk of both unsustainable resource management practices and corruption. Our findings suggest that the underlying similarities of the cases are that privatization occurred around the same time in early 1990s, when neoliberal economic ideology influentially held up the idea that private ownership meant better management. What followed was a transition to economies of scale that ultimately resulted in dominance of large vertically integrated companies in the sectors. The resulting inequalities between large and small actors in the renewable resource management systems serve to increase the risk for unsustainable management decisions as well as increase perceptions of corruption risks, especially amongst smaller actors in the sectors.
Highlights
Transparency International, namely fisheries in Iceland, forestry in Romania, and arable soils in Ukraine
This study investigated the management of arable land soils in Ukraine, forests in Romania, and fisheries in Iceland in an effort to gain an understanding of assumptions and perceptions of motivations that shape individual actions within the sectors, as well as their implications
The aim was to uncover the main drivers and dynamics contributing to unsustainable management practices and the role corruption plays in that context
Summary
Transparency International, namely fisheries in Iceland, forestry in Romania, and arable soils in Ukraine. The results indicate that even though the cases are different, they share a similar outcome, in that privatization of the resource and consolidation of companies took place, along with perceived risk of both unsustainable resource management practices and corruption. Challenging the “Tragedy of the Commons” arguments [3], Elinor Ostrom [4] has influentially covered the topic and associated problems of many individuals collectively attempting to organize productive use of natural resource systems while ensuring their long-term sustainability. A commonly used economic instrument to alleviate collective action problems associated with resource use has been to assign property rights to resources, which are meant to generate economic incentives to influence behavior toward better management [5]. Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries have been recognized as key sectors for realizing the circular bioeconomy of well-being [6] and their importance for sustainable development [7]
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